Woodpigeon (band)

Woodpigeon
Woodpigeon circa 2009
Background information
Origin	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Genres	indie pop, folk rock anti-folk
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Boompa (N. America), End of the Road (UK / EU), Fierce Panda (UK / EU), Lirico (JPN), Where It's At is Where You Are (UK / EU)
Associated acts	Spreepark FOONYAP The Consonant C Scars & Scarves Kenna Burima Jose Gonzalez
Website	www.woodpigeon-songbook.com

Woodpigeon are an indie pop collective founded in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is led by and performs the songs of Mark Andrew Hamilton. Woodpigeon have released six studio albums, and a number of EPs, and Hamilton has worked with over 75 collaborators both on record and in live performance. Live, Woodpigeon is often a solo project incorporating loops and layered vocals.

When asked about the band's name, Hamilton explains: "I've always been in love with the word Woodpigeon for as long as I can remember. When you write it in cursive, it looks like a rollercoaster."

The band's sound has been compared to Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Talk Talk, Camera Obscura, Simon & Garfunkel, and Belle & Sebastian, amongst others. Band leader Mark Hamilton's main lyrical influence is The Kinks.

Woodpigeon's origins are found with primary songwriter Mark Andrew Hamilton writing songs in Edinburgh, Scotland. At this time, the band was named Woodpigeon Divided By Antelope Equals Squirrel and consisted of Hamilton alongside Steve Kaye and Malcolm Benzie (who went on to form Edinburgh slowcore band eagleowl and performs with Withered Hand). Hamilton states that he "was far too scared to ever sing, so all we ever played was a couple of stupid instrumentals and our only "performance" was in the streets of Edinburgh." Eventually, Hamilton returned to Canada, and started afresh, with the shortened band name, Woodpigeon. Other band members fell in place, with Hamilton noting that: "the way it came together was simplistic: friends started hearing my songs and offering their services."

The band's first full-length album, entitled Songbook, was released in late 2006. Following its release, the band opened for Broken Social Scene, Iron and Wine, Grizzly Bear, and Calexico. With their popularity growing, Woodpigeon toured the UK, Ireland, and Germany in 2008. That October they performed a pair of "Homecoming" shows in Calgary and Edmonton as an opener for Iron and Wine.